Reading “A Call to Arms” in the Reflections section of the Autumn 2005 Wittenberg Magazine brought back old memories. In response to your suggestion that alumni share their thoughts during the 60th anniversary of World War II, I pass along these recollections.

As a member of the class of 1935, I attended Wittenberg during the lingering Great Depression with the memories of the horrors of World War I still influencing our thinking. I would guess that a large majority of my fellow students were avowed pacifists judging from the countless “bull sessions” over the four years. But more important than our views on pacifism was the problem of finding a job upon graduation, which was not easy, even for unusually well-qualified applicants.

On Dec. 7, 1941, our belief in pacifism was overwhelmed by the attack on Pearl Harbor, and many of us left our hard-found jobs to join the military. I chose the Naval Reserve and, after a year in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations, requested sea duty. I was assigned as a communications officer to a light cruiser, the USS Vincennes, spending the following two years in the Pacific with the Third and Fifth Fleets.

Following the war, our cruiser spent six months or so as the flagship of the Commander of the South Pacific Area and Forces, with the mission of closing naval bases and “mopping up” the South Pacific operations. This was the period of “bring the boys back home,” a mother’s campaign that crippled the fleet and undermined our strength and thus our ability to negotiate successfully with our Russian friends.

In the thought you might find them of some interest, I’m enclosing copies of several small articles I wrote last year in connection with the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington. Also enclosed are several Navy Department photos of our ship, which I obtained merely by typing “USS Vincennes (CL64)” in Google; I suggest that others, interested in checking out their naval/military experiences, follow the same procedure.

Another Web resources that could be of help to you or others wishing to check the war experiences of Wittenberg Navy veterans is the Navy Memorial Log, which contains photos, naval records and honors for several hundred thousand Navy veterans. (Web site: www.lonesailor.org)

Thanks for suggesting I share these old memries with you and warmest best wishes.

—Paul Pfeiffer Jr. ’35
Washington, D.C.

Editor’s Note: To view the items mentioned in the following letter, log on to www.wittenberg.edu/magazine